The Falklands will send 31/32 competitors and 4/5 officials to the Games in Shetlands.
They will be represented in Golf (4), Badminton (2), Football (18), Swimming (4), Table Tennis (1) & Clay Pigeon Shooting (3).

Graham Didlick, the Falklands most successful competitor who has also competed in the Commonwealth Games (1998 + 2002) in pistol events, will compete in Shetlands in Clay Pigeon shooting events. Saul Pitaluga, who represented the Falklands in the 1994, 1998 & 2002 Commonwealth Games, will again compete in Shetlands in clay pigeon shooting.

15 year old Edward Freer and 14 year old Hannah Arthur-Almond both represented the Falklands in swimming events at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia.

Douglas Clark represented the Falklands at badminton in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. In Shetlands he will captain the Football Team. His brother Craig is also in the squad.

None of our competitors hold Island Games records in disciplines organized in Shetlands, although Graham Didlick holds the Individual Witworth Class 4 (Black Powder Pistol) Island Games record with a score of 85, set in Gotland.

Golfer Kevin Clapp has appeared at every Island Games where golf has been played since 1993. Shetlands will be his 6th Games.

Being in the Southern Hemisphere the football season which runs in the summer from October to March has ended. The footballers have been keeping fit by using the indoor facilities of the British Forces based on the islands. During the current season, the team remained unbeaten when playing Military units on the Islands. It is considered that this team is slightly stronger than the team which went to the IOM in 2001 – the first time a Falklands football team had entered the Games. Then, in the 11/12th place play-off the Falklands surprisingly beat the larger Orkney islands by 4-1.
4 of the football team, Adam Glanville, Robin Benjamin, Jeremy ‘Spurs’ Henry and Michael Moyce were born on the neighbouring Island of St Helena, 4000 miles from the Falklands, but qualifies to play for the Falklands through their long residency. (St Helena does not enter a football team in the Island games).

3 of the football team, Kyle Biggs, Michael Betts & Robin Benjamin are at college in England while Daniel Biggs (26) will travel from university in Australia to play. His brother Kyle (19) is also in the squad, while their younger brother Lucas (14) will play table tennis singles. Mother & Father, Peter & Fran Biggs are coming from the Falklands to support their sons. Peter is a full-time Major in the Falklands Islands Defence Force and ran in the 10,000m event in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

23 year old Anna Luxton is the Falklands qualified physiotherapist, and will look after all 31/32 competitors. She will also play in the mixed badminton doubles with Ben Watson.
Anna has recently undertaken a special course in sports injuries physio in preparation for these Games, and will be seen running onto the pitch to attend any footballer in need of medical help.

13 year old Thomas Burston (swimmer) will have plenty of family support. His Mother, Father, sister Caitlin (10) and 1 year old sister Emma-Jayne are going all the way to Shetlands to support him.

Most Falklands competitors will had to have left the Falklands a full week in advance of the Games, because of the air connections not tying in the with ‘Van Gogh’s’ sailing. They will stay with relatives and friends in England prior to boarding the ‘Van Gogh’ in Tilbury on Thursday 7th July. They will either have travelled through Santiago, Chile, which means having left the Falklands on the previous Saturday 2nd July, over-nighting in Santiago, catching a flight the next day to Madrid, changing there, after a 5 hours stop, for a flight to London, arriving on Monday evening!!

Others may take the RAF flight, also on Saturday, with an 8 hours direct flight to Ascension Island, in mid-Atlantic, followed by a further 8 hours to Brize Norton, arriving there early on Sunday morning.

With the cost of air fares, staying over in England, and accommodation on the ship during the Games, it is estimated that it will cost 2,500 pounds for each competitor attending the Island Games of 2005.

Please note: At the instigation of the FALKLAND ISLANDS OVERSEAS GAMES ASSOCIATION, the Island Games Association finally agreed in 2001 to introduce the ‘Small Islands Certificates”. All islands of populations of 10,000 and less, namely Alderney, Sark, Froya, Hitra, St Helena & Falklands, are eligible to compete. Gold, Silver & Bronze certificates are awarded to competitors from these ‘small’ islands based on their results in the medal competitions. However 3 of the ‘small’ islands must be competing in a respective discipline before gold & silver certificates are awarded. 4 competing islands allows gold, silver & bronze to be awarded. Competitors can also win gold, silver or bronze medals, which are still the main aim, but the certificates have added an extra competitive edge for the ‘small’ islands of the IGA.